Cast those Burdens on Him

CAST THOSE BURDENS ON HIM

 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

~1 Peter 5:6-7

 

Upon being hired as an instructor at the Sylvan learning center to potentially tutor the higher math and sciences, I recently began reviewing what was arguably the most conceptually difficult course I took in college: physical chemistry.  I still remember how it all happened.  As a 3^rd year biology major at UCSD, I decided that I wanted to – at least for one quarter – try out physical chemistry.  I had heard about its reputation from my high school chemistry teacher, and about how it was the most difficult branch of all chemistry (he had received his PhD in biophysics, so there was some credibility behind the statement).  And so, in the fall quarter of 2005, I enrolled myself in a physical chemistry class – CHEM 131 was the course number – a class on energetics, kinetics, and thermodynamics that was designed to be taken by the university’s chemical engineering majors…NOT biology students looking to take a breather from their required classes.  After a few days into the class, I understood why.  The class was a combination of physics, chemistry, and differential calculus, in which I was required to use partial differentiation and triple integrals to derive equations used to analyze the energetic costs of chemical reactions.  At one point, things became so difficult that I almost felt like I was having to learn Greek, since I was looking at a whole bunch of Greek letters in equations and had no idea that I stood for.  Average test scores in the class ranged from 25 to 35% – a ridiculously low number even for students in the hard sciences.  Yet, I still remember how I managed my way through the class; it was a man named Arnie.  Arnie was a graduate student in the UCSD chemistry department and one of our class’ T.A.s (teacher’s assistants).  Before every midterm, I would go to his section – feeling completely lost.  Yet, I went to his sections completely confident and trusting that, after spending an hour listening to him, I would be ok.  Arnie was incredibly bright – he understood physical chemistry as it was basic arithmetic – but on top of that he had an incredible heart to help all struggling students.  Thus, I would go into each section knowing that all I had to was cast all of my problems and questions and worries upon Arnie, and that no matter how lost I was in class I would emerge in decent shape to take whatever test was ahead.  Sure enough, because of Arnie’s genius and genuine care, I wound up with an A in the class – which ironically was a higher final grade than any that I received for my biology classes at UCSD.

 

Facing the challenges of physical chemistry is one thing.  Facing the burdens from sin and spiritual warfare is another.  Many a Christian submits his life to Christ expecting that all of His problems in life would be solved, only to find burdens on his shoulders that he had previously never had to carry.  The burdens that result from the trials of life are various and multi-faceted – ranging from financial pressures to the waning health of a loved one.  They may come from challenges presented by a fellow church member, or parental pressures to forsake church ministry for the sake of worldly ambitions.  But not only are they diverse nature, but the burdens of life are frequent and constant.  The harder and harder one pursues the heart of Christ, the harder and harder the resistance becomes.  Equivalent to a weight lifter feeling a steady increase in his weights the higher the level of competition he attains, so the Christian’s burdens become heavier as he seeks to glorify God to the maximum in his life.  And reality is that they simply keep on coming.  Relief from their presence is simply not an option for the disciple.  It is no wonder that even the godliest of men have often contemplated taking their own lives, so as to rid themselves of seemingly unbearable pressure that comes from simply trying to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

 

Christ never promised His followers a life free of burdens.  Instead, He promised them a life full of God’s presence.  When faced with the reality of intense pressure from all directions, one ought not to panic and despair, but simply humbly entrust his entire self to the God who loves Him.  It is when one’s heart and mind are confronted with the awesome might and mercy of his God that he learns to face what otherwise would be despairing challenges.  “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.”  Too often, believers are more focused on the weight of their trials than the might of their God.  If only we would all remember that the God who called us to follow Him is none other than the Almighty Sovereign Creator of the Universe whose decrees hold everything in the world together.  It is in Him that all things find existence, and there is nothing over which He does not have control.  He is mighty indeed, capable of anything and surely set to accomplish whatever purposes He has.  And if only we would all remember that this mighty God is merciful.  Powerful as He is, His heart reaches out to those whom He has called His own.  Far from being the distant power that He is at times portrayed to be, He is a God who genuinely cares for the needs of His beloved children. If one truly understands God’s power and mercy, humbling oneself under Him and entrusting oneself entirely to Him would result in nothing in genuine and lasting confidence and comfort.  If it is this God who is for us, what can defeat us?

 

Remember, brother, that burdens don’t exist to discourage your heart, but rather to deepen its understanding of the Almighty.  It is only when you are made aware of your utter insufficiency to handle life’s pressures that you are left with no other option than to focus your eyes squarely on Him.  It is then, and only then, that you will grow to trust Him more fully and as a result grow to know Him more intimately.  When the burdens come, don’t complain of them to Him, but instead cast them upon Him.  It is when the weight of life is heaviest when the might of God is most clearly displayed.  It is when you are broken beyond all emotional strength that your heart will truly understand the extent of His mercy.  And thus, you of all will be in the position to boast, for through life’s trials you have come to know your God.  Rejoice, then, when they come.  For through them you will be drawn closer to the heart of Him who loved you, gave Himself up for you, and called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.